Zero Tolerance Policy

The primary purposes of this policy are to (1) ensure that players, referees, coaches, and parents who are participating in or observing CCYS soccer games are safe from physical harm or verbal abuse and (2) encourage and teach principles of sportsmanship.

Any Concord Carlisle parent, coach, or player who speaks or behaves disrespectfully or aggressively with a referee or a player or a coach will be asked, by the Concord Carlisle coach whose team is playing or a CCYS representative, to stop the offending behavior or language. If a friendly request is not sufficient, the coach or a CCYS Field Marshall will ask the parent, coach, or player to leave the field.

Before each home game, CCYS coaches will inform coaches of visiting teams of our policy and ask the visiting team coaches to take the lead with their team's parents. If visiting spectators , coaches, or players are behaving disrespectfully, the CCYS coach or a CCYS representative will inform the visiting coach and request that the visiting coach request that the disrespectful behavior stop.

If CCYS coaches or representatives see that aggressive or disrespectful behavior continues after a friendly request to stop, they may ask the Concord Police to visit the field.

Examples of verbal harassment include name calling and audible statements that question another person's capabilities or intentions or suggest that their decisions or play may be the result of physical or mental limitations. For example, shouting at a referee, "Are you crazy?" or "Ref, you need your glasses fixed" would qualify, under the terms of this policy, as verbal harassment, as would "That's a terrible call." Shouting suggestions that players or coaches engage in unsportsmanlike behavior or commit fouls would qualify as verbal harassment. Post-game critical comments directed aggressively at referees, players, or coaches would also qualify as verbal harassment. Coaching of players by spectators is not considered "harassment," however the soccer club strongly discourages this practice.

Any verbal or physical harassment of children or adults on or near our soccer fields should be reported to your program's director, as soon as possible after the incident via telephone or e-mail. Please give a full report of the incident (time, place, people involved, specifics about language or behavior). Please consult the list of program directors from the Board of Directors listing on the Contacts page.

Under NO circumstances does this policy authorize or encourage parents, players, or coaches to argue with, physically restrain, or in other ways assume the role of local police or authorities. If friendly, measured requests to stop offending behavior are ignored, we depend on the Concord Police for assistance. Call them from the field, say you are calling for assistance with a disorderly fan at a soccer game. The CPD will send a cruiser.